Gay Marriage Coming To The Netherlands Antilles

BY ON TOP MAGAZINE STAFF 
PUBLISHED: SEPTEMBER 18, 2010

Three former Dutch colonies are preparing to introduce gay marriage

 and adoption laws as they come under direct Dutch rule, Radio 

Netherlands reported.

The Netherlands Antilles, which consists of five small islands in the 

Caribbean Sea, are scheduled to be dissolved on October 10 and three 

of the islands are set to become special municipalities of the Netherlands.

The islands of Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatitus are expected to adopt

 Dutch law. The two largest islands, Curacao and Sint Maarten, are set to

 become independent states within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The 

islands of Curacao and Bonaire are located off the Venezuelan coast, 

while Sint Eustatius, Saba and Sint Maarten are located southeast of the 

Virgin Islands. In 1986, the island of Aruba seceded to become an

 autonomous part of the Netherlands.

Last week, the lower house of the Dutch Parliament approved a bill to

 legalize gay marriage and adoption for gay and couples by 2012 in the 

three socially conservative islands coming under Dutch control. The

 Senate is expected to act on the bill soon.

The Netherlands was the first country to legalize gay marriage in 2000